Arryn picks himself up, then jumps in front of the girls when he sees the giant still there with his bow.
”Wait. Aren’t elves immune to sleep magic?” he asks quietly, then ducking behind the girls for cover.
Dregg groans as Aramis shakes him and helps him up to a seated position. "Nap? What's going on? I was about to go chop a giant tree-man down when-" he glances down at his thigh where the arrow had struck and frowns.
Rising to his feet, he picks up his axe and turns to regard the distant tree-man, his gaze slowly moving from Garrivek to the giant to Isabella then back to the giant again.
He asks softly to Aramis and Arryn, "Uhhh, how long they been at that and is chopping that tree-man in half off the table yet?"
"I'm Garrivek," Garrivek tells the wood giant, still holding his hands out to show he's not a threat. "And who might you be?"
Aramis smirks up at Dregg. "Not long. And yes, chopping him's off the table."
"I am Herge," the giant replies, moving a little closer and squinting.
"You little people all look alike," he admits a bit sheepfacedly. "You're sure you're not the smelly lizard people, or hobgoblins?"
”Smelly? Some of us, though not in a lizard way. And definitely not hobgoblins. Hobgoblins attacked our town and forced us to flee to the forest. We seek allies.”
"And you're sure you don't burn trees?" he asks, frowning.
Dregg saws his jaw back and forth as the shouted negotiations continue and he mutters beneath his breath, "Keep shooting arrows at us and find out." He shrugs at a reproving glance from Aramis and he shouts back, "Not if it's green wood, no."
"Well, hello Herge." Garrivek says. He points at the burnt bodies. "Who's hanging in the trees? Do you mind if I cut them down? Maybe give them a proper burial?"
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"Cut the trees down? I suppose that's fine; they're burned beyond saving," Herge replies sadly. "I don't know what sort of proper burial you have in mind for them, but I think that would be just lovely."
”I’m sure he meant to just cut the bodies down—they seem to be lodged in some branches.”
Arryn tried to float the remains down, but if they’re really stuck, somebody will have to go up, or we chop down the tree.
"Oh," Herge says, blinking and taking a look. "I hadn't even noticed that, to be honest. I suppose you could cut them down too. Perhaps you can bury them with the trees."
It's hard to make out much about the bodies, which are burned beyond recognition. In fact, they appear to have become fused to the tree, and aren't easy to bring down.
Aramis moves to help Garrivek pull down the bodies.
"Well, lets get this done, then."
Garrivek cuts down the bodies and buries them with the aid of Aramis. While he works he asks Herge about himself and his people and what he's doing out here.
Garrivek looks around to see if the trees have dropped anything that could be salvaged and replanted -- seeds, acorns, and so on.
"Let's see what we can do about these trees, hey Herge?"
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"Ehm. Burying the trees would ... not be nice to all the little birdies? 'Cause even if they're dead, animals can still live in 'em? Annnd they'll return ta nature faster if'n they're open ta tha sky?"
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"Well, yes, that's certainly true," Herge agrees, "but I didn't want to dissuade you from burying them. It seems like a nice gesture, and you did suggest it, after all."
As you talking to him, Herge admits he is more of a forester than a warrior, sheepishly confessing that he was exiled from his clan in the northern Fangwood for an accidental longbow shot that killed a sacred boar. When he saw the burned trees here, he just got so angry.
"And, yes, sorry again about shooting you," he apologizes, face turning a bit red.
Any goods the bodies once had were incinerated; nothing of value remains.
Dregg nods in acknowledgment of the apology, then works his jaw side to side as he ponders a thought. After a long while, he turns to the group and states with a shrug, "We're not short on warriors, but we could use another seasoned forester."
Aramis considers this then nods. She looks to the others to see if they have any aversions to the wood giant helping the refugees.
No problems here, though Arryn voices a suggestion that the wood giant might not easily fit inside their caves.
Herge thinks it over for a few minutes, and then nods.
"Yes, I will help you. If I can make more foresters, that would be good," he decides. "I'm sure everyone would much rather live under the boughs than in the caves, once I show them how much more comfortable it is."
That situation resolved, you turn your attention back to west, where Phaendar waits. You carefully make your way back to the village. Fortunately, you don't run into any patrols, but the entire time, your sense are on edge, an ambush seemingly likely around every tree and over every hill. As you carefully edge to within sight of the village, you're relieved to find it still there. In fact, if anything, it's bigger than you left it. The hobgoblins -- and they seem to teem through the village from what you can see from across the river -- appear to be rebuilding the town into a fortress, one with the strange obsidian tower you briefly saw when you fled still looking above it.
”Hmpf. They’re more industrious than I’d have guessed. Where’d they get the supplies for all of this?”
”Probably from inside their bloody magic tower,” Arryn growls.
He strains to look for signs of prisoners/slaves.
He also looks for whatever they’re using for a bridge.
While you can see occasional glimpses of humans, it's impossible to make out much in terms of details. Some may be slaves or prisoners, but some look they may also be allies of the hobgoblins.
You don't see any signs of a bridge.
”While a lack of bridge means they hopefully won’t come en made anytime soon, it also makes it impossible to sneak across and liberate our people. We need the military,” he adds almost sadly.
Dregg grunts in agreement, sawing his jaw back and forth as he does. "Hmpf. Maybe we can track down those foxes who went to their holes."
”Agreed. Isabella, can you obscure our trail? Let’s go home.”
Garrivek looks at the tower in shock. "So, the town has a new stone tower since I was here last... How do you mean it's magic?"
He follows the others as they leave, shaking his head at the number of hobgoblins that had conquered the town. "Sure is a lot of hobgoblins, there... Hmmm..."
"It just appeared out of nowhere the day the hobgoblins attacked. I..." She shrugs. "I don't know much else about it. I don't think any of us do." She looks at the others for confirmation. "The hobgoblins poured out of it, I think. Took the whole town by surprise."
As they walk, Aramis keeps an eye out for danger or hobgoblin patrols.
”Agreed. Isabella, can you obscure our trail? Let’s go home.”
"Yeah. Can do," Isabella says. "But we should start hunting for the army, 'stead of going back to the cave."
Garrivek looks at the tower in shock. "So, the town has a new tower since I was here last... How do you mean it's magic?"
"I dunno that burg from Absalom. Wasn't there for the attack, either. I ran into these guys shepherding a bunch of townies an' sheep through the woods."
"It just appeared out of nowhere the day the hobgoblins attacked. I..." She shrugs. "I don't know much else about it. I don't think any of us do." She looks at the others for confirmation. "The hobgoblins poured out of it, I think. Took the whole town by surprise."
"Sounds like serious magic. Might as be we need to look for a Wizard as well as those Rangers."
Caves to report what they found and to let their folks know about the elf. I assume we gave the wood giant directions to our caves so the leadership will probably want an explanation.
Then we go looking for fox holes.
"What a strange tower," Garrivek concludes. "If it weren't for all those hobgoblins, I'd really like to see inside." Garrivek drums his fingers on his armour.
"Looks like an army is needed to fight that army. We'll need to find the rangers in their hiding places."
Dregg nods as the group turns away from Phaendar. "What was that Scarvinius' father's name again? Scab-something? Something-scab?" He shrugs, "Scabbywhatshisname is probably in charge back there." The half orc then claps Arryn on the shoulder encouragingly, "His number'll come up soon."
You carefully make your way back, but once again manage to not encounter any patrols -- perhaps the lack of bridge means the hobgoblins aren't on this side of the Marideth River in such force as to be a big concern? Or perhaps you just got lucky.
Regardless, after another week, you make it back to the caves, where you're again greeted warmly.
"What word?" Jet calls out, as Phaistea rushes toward Arryn, pulling up just short as her face flushes.
"You're OK," she exclaims.
"Hey everyone. This here's Vardalel. Have you seen a friendly wood giant around anyway? His name's Herge. He was supposed to meet us here..."
... as Phaistea rushes toward Arryn, pulling up just short as her face flushes."You're OK," she exclaims.
"Shocking, I know," Aramis replies with a smirk at Phaistea, "But we managed to bring him back alive." She claps Arryn on the back then wanders up to Jet. "The hobgoblins have remained in Phaendar. Looks like they expanding, settling in for the long haul. We're going to need an army to root them out. The rangers... We need the rangers."
She sighs, then smiles. "But, we've brought new allies." She nods at Garrivek as he introduces Vardalel.
Arryn is happy to see Phaistea come running, but is pained that she pulls up short. He lays his hands gently on her shoulders and quietly says, ”We weren’t able to see any sign of your family, but we couldn’t get very close, so there’s still every reason to hope.”
The refugees look at Garrivek as if he's talking gibberish.
"Like a treant?" one of them asks, in a bit of a sneering voice.
Yasha, meanwhile, eyes up Vardalel speculatively, as he looks over the assembled masses before him, seemingly at a loss for words.
--
Phaistea smiles, and blushes, as Aramis says you manages to return Arryn safely, and breathes a heavy sigh of relief at Arryn's words, eyes filling with tears. "I guess that's really all we have," she says tremulously.
Aubrin cuts in at that point. "You're right we need the rangers," she agrees. "That's what'll give us hope, but I don't know where they are. You lot might need to go try to root them out..."
"Oh, heavens no! Not a treant." Garrivek chuckles. "A wood giant. You know. Big fellow. Tall. I'm sure you'd know who I was talking about if you'd seen him."
Garrivek heads outside and scans the surrounding area, looking for signs of Herge.
"HERGE? YOU AROUND HERE?"
"Root them out... Is there anything else you can tell me about the rangers that might help, Aubrin? Even if its just rumour or seems useless?"
There's no answer to Garrivek's call.
Aubrin can tell you much of the common lore of the rangers, but she's just not sure where their hideouts are exactly other than to the north. Nor can she say why they haven't come to help deal with the hobgoblins, but the latter failure makes her fear for the worst.
”So I guess we stay put tonight and head north tomorrow morning,” Arryn says.
Later that evening, Arryn occasions to catch Phaistea alone for a moment. He asks her how she’s doing, and if there’s anything she needs, and other mundane conversation trying to work around to what he really wants to talk about.
”I used to be a drunk. I don’t know if you knew that, but when I lumbered into Phaendar, I was there looking for a dry hay loft and a lot of ale. I sat down at the bar at the Taproot and ordered an ale from a barmaid so beautiful and full of joy of life that I was enchanted and never once remembered the pint of ale in front of me. I came back the next night, and the next, ready to drink myself into a stupor, and every night I just gazed at you instead. Why you didn’t have somebody throw me out on my head for being a creep I’ll never know, but then you got me a job there and just like that, I didn’t want to drink anymore.”
”Our attack on Scarvinious didn’t go well. Isabella was the first to go down, Dregg was cut off from us and presumably down, and Aramis was fighting three. I, however, had a chance to get away, and the old me would have taken it in a heartbeat, but for the first time in my life I had obligations that actually mattered and people who counted on me, so I sacrificed myself so that Aramis could get away, cause I knew that you cared about her. Turns out she did get away, took Dregg, Isabella somehow didn’t die, and they came back and set us free. In the meanwhile, of course, Scarvinious wanted to know where you all were hiding and, I’m sure this would surprise you, I got a little cheeky with my replies, so Inchworm, as I called him in my head, worked out some of his daddy issues on my face. When we did get back, for a moment, I did want to drink again, but then you were there again, too.”
”I don’t know what we’re going to find when we look for the rangers, but it’s possible that it might be bad enough that I want to drink again. No matter what I have to come home to, I know seeing you will wipe that away, but in the meantime, what I need to know is, am I carrying a torch for you in vain? I am, a thousand thousand times, unworthy of you, but I just need to know...something.”
He pauses for breath, hoping he hasn’t said too much and scared her off for good.
Dregg claps Garrivek on the shoulder, ”Don’t worry too much, Beltbuckle. We can look for him when we head out to find the rangers.” He tousles Symond’s hair next as he continues on his way through the caves, ”Folk look safe, Pup. Good work.” He then hands the boy a whittled stick and says, ”Now, show me what I taught you last time. Where should you stab someone bigger than you in a fight. Heh heh. Yeah, that’s right. Ankle’s a good spot if they don’t have big metal boots or right in the jewels. Good. Either one means they can’t walk too good while you can run. Good, but keep practicing!”
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Later, while around a small fire, Dregg grins to himself as he sees Arryn go off after Phaistea. He elbows Aramis and thrusts his chin in the direction he’d gone off in, ”Heh. Say, Red, think they’re finally going to stop dancing around one another? He should’ve brought some plates with him though. He’s a good shot with them, would’ve impressed her.”
Isabella goes and checks the traps, performing maintenance as needed and generally prowls around. When the party regroups for dinner, she shows up again.
"Gonna be a bear of a job, winkling out Rangers who don't want finding," she remarks. "Could take a while. Could be they've set traps. Could be they start shooting soon as they spot us. Don't suppose as we've got a Nirmathan flag to carry?"
As Garrivek calls for the missing wood giant and Dregg assures him all is well, Aramis feels a lump of dread forming in her stomach. She had been worried about the elf. Skeptical of his motives. But, what if Herge was who she should have been worried about all along? Ever since that centaur had fooled her -- fooled everyone -- and killed some of their own, trusting strangers had not come easy to her. But, a wood giant? With hobgoblins? He couldn't! Could he?
He was so angry over the burnt trees...
But, what if he had fooled them? Or what if he was being used?
Would Herge bring the hobgoblins to their home? Would more die because she had been fooled again?
Looking worried and frustrated, Aramis takes a deep breath to settle herself. Her people didn't need her fear. They needed her hope. So she smiles at the refugees, giving words of encouragement and news. She smiles at Symond, noticing him with the ball she had given him. He looked so different than the boy she had bought the ball for. Orm. What had happened to him? She hoped he was still alive. That someone had found him and helped him escape. That he was safe. Odds are he wasn't. He probably never made it out of Phaendar alive. And if the hobgoblins had taken him prisoner... he wouldn't survive long as a slave.
Pushing back useless thoughts and encroaching melancholy, Aramis plays ball with Symond for a bit, then leaves him to his training with Dregg. She turns and leaves the caves, pacing the perimeter in a fruitless effort to find Herge, silently praying he wouldn't bring death down upon them.
Aramis returns as the sky darkens, helping Jet and Phaistea hand out the evenings meal. She doesn't take any herself. She wasn't hungry and the others could use it more. Eventually she sits down by the fire. She loses herself for a while, in the conversations around her, the friends, and the community. Against all odds they'd built something beautiful here. She hoped it would last.
As Dregg gestures at Arryn and her dearest friend, Aramis smiles. "They'd better. Time's not exactly on their side. I'm surprised it's taken this long." As they pass from sight she smirks. "Think he'll blow it? He's not much of a charmer." After a moment of consideration she bursts out laughing. "Lucky for him, Phaistea and I have never had the same taste in men. She likes him. He'll be fine as long as he doesn't put his foot too far in his mouth."
When Isabella speaks, Aramis nods. "A bear of a job? That's an understatement. And honestly? I've no idea where to begin." She thinks back on their inventory, then shakes her head. "Nope, no flag. No map, either. Not as far as I know. Hmmm..." She falls silent for a while, in thought. "Geography's not my strong suit, I'm afraid." She looks at Isabella and Dregg. "You've both been around the region more than I have. Do you have any idea where to start? Any signs or old rumours of ranger activity or territory?" She turns to look at the nearby pungent dwarf. "I wonder if Garrivek knows. He's been most everywhere, it sounds like..."
Gesturing the dwarf over, , she asks if he has a map, or clues to where the rangers might have been. Perhaps from there they could track them to their hiding places?
"Might surprise you to learn I was lookin' not ta meet folks 'fore I met you all. So no, no idea," Isabella says. "But Rangers are still people. They'll need fresh water an' food, same as beasts. Might we were best off looking for natural wellsprings and such."
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"You wanted to be alone? You're right, I'm shocked," Aramis replies with a smile. It's clear she's not shocked in the least. "Water... You might be onto something. That's a good idea, Isabella. Find what they need in the hopes of finding them. Certainly worth a shot."
Dregg chuckles. ”She’ll be surprised when she closes her eyes for a sweet little kiss only to find she’s floating in the air and his eyes have that blank look they get. Heh heh. Hahaha. I’d pay to see that, now that I think about it. Hah!”
When Aramis asks about his travels, the half orc shrugs, but he thinks long over her question, sawing his jaw back and forth as the chatter around him fades into a dull hum in his ears. After a time, he looks up and huffs, shrugging again. ”Not sure, but they’ve got to have a fort or something in the area, I’d think. Too present and too organized to just have been hiding supplies and gear under the odd tree stump.”
"Don't knock it. Building up is one way to survive. Scattering wide is another. Anyhoo, might wanna have someone stitch a flag, then we follow any rivers what flows from north to their source. If not Rangers, leastwise we'll see plenty'a food."